• Case Studies…
XMLSolutions (XMLS) was a fast-growing software provider with powerful new technology, but they had no success using a large public relations firm to garner media attention and distinguish itself within an increasingly crowded market space.
Many small and mid-size software vendors claim to have breakthrough products, but members of the media are skeptical until they see proof, so getting a reporter's attention can be frustrating. XMLS had developed a new product that enabled small and medium-sized companies to use the Internet to do business with the Global 2000. As companies were discovering the power of XML and its ability to help companies transact business over the Internet, divergent standards threatened to impede the movement away from the phone, fax and mail to the speed and cost-effectiveness of the Internet. XMLS presented a powerful solution to this problem, through technology that could automatically translate EDI documents of Global 2000 companies into XML documents, as well as any XML dialect into any other XML dialect, enabling tens of thousands of companies to transact business more cost-effectively with the largest corporations. XMLS hired a large PR firm to gain visibility and awareness. It got neither. As the media devoted more and more coverage to the buzz surrounding XML technology, XMLS remained on the sidelines, with coverage going to bigger, better-known companies.
Peter Arnold Associates (PAA) understood that traditional news releases would not enable XMLS to cut through the barrage of messages the media received daily. So PAA developed customized pitches that presented the business value of this new technology in general and the company’s unique capabilities in particular. These pitches leveraged PAA's long-standing relationships with key technology editors and reporters to present XMLS not just as another XML technology vendor, but as a resource for these editors and reporters as they discussed larger technology issues and trends.
PAA developed a comprehensive public relations strategy for XMLSolutions focused on four primary areas: media relations, industry analyst relations, securing speaking engagements, and helping the company win awards. All of these efforts converged the central goal of establishing XMLS as the leader in the XML technology space. PAA arranged dozens of industry analyst briefings that helped to further the credibility of XMLS, arranged speaking engagements before audiences of decision makers, and aided in getting major awards that differentiated this company from the entrenched competition. As this multi-dimensional strategy progressed, XMLS received increasing media and analyst coverage, becoming a mainstay in a significant number of stories related to XML technology.
Utilizing personal pitches and PAA’s well-established media relationships, PAA secured coverage of the company in eWeek magazine within the first two weeks of working together. Through coordinated, aggressive public relations strategies and tactics, XMLS received hundreds of leads and market acceptance that helped business development personnel close sales. XMLS rapidly grew into a company with several hundred employees in offices around the nation, consistently presented its products in competition with much larger publicly-traded corporations, and received many buyout offers. Vitria Technology acquired XMLS and folded it into Vitria's enterprise software offerings.
